Leg-spreader for horses



(No Model.) C. W. NOYES.

LEG SPREADER FOR HORSES.

Patented Mar. 1, 187.

N PETERS, PhuKo-Ulhugnpher, Wmm mn. Dv c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Cramps.

CHARLES WV. NOYES, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

LEG-SPREADER FOR HORSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,818, dated March 1, 1887'.

Application filed August 9, 18:56.

T 0 uJZ w/wm, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES WV. NOYES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kalamazoo, county of Kalamazoo, and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Device for Spreading and Regulating the Distance Apart of the Hind Feet of HOl'StS, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my present invention is to provide a practical and convenient device whereby the bad habit of horses to tread too close together with their hind feet, so as to "overt-each, and also to interfere, socalled, shall be cured,and the hind feet caused to pass outside and forward of the fore feet, as the fast roadster must do in order to 1en-. der his whole strength and power of propulsion available.

The nature of my invention consists in providing the vehicle-shafts with depending pivoted pendants reaching to suitable points opposite the hind legs of the horse, to which are attached elastic straps which horizontally and laterally connect the extreme lower ends of the said pendants with the legs of the horse, whereby a gentle yet constant pressure orpull outwardly is applied to the horses hind legs in traveling, thus tending to spread the hind legs and feet apart, as will presently more clearly appear.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, and wherein similar letters and figures of reference designate similar parts in all the views, Figure 1 represents a side view of my new invention attached to the horse and vehicle ready for the road or training-track. Fig. 2 represents the same in cross section, taken on line as :r orjust rearward of the fastening or clips CC, clearly showing the manner of securing my device to the shafts and to the horseslegs and the position of the parts when the horse is standing or at rest. Figs. 3 andet are enlarged perspective views of parts thereof detached.

' The mode of operation and great value of my novel invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art oftraining horses by a mere glance at the drawings, and I need not therefore do more here than describe the parts in detail, as follows:

A A represent the clasps or boots by Serial No.2l0Ai9. (No model.)

means of which my device is attached to the horses legs, and B B are the vehicle-shafts. Clips C C are movably fixed to the shafts, by means of which the swinging pendants D D are pivoted to the former by ears a a, provided with bolts, which allow of a free movemeut of the pendants longitudinally inthe are of a circle as the horse moves, but maintaining a fixed distance apart and parallel position laterally of the pendants at all times.

Attached to the extreme depending ends of the pendants I) D are situated the horizontal elastic straps C C, whose opposite ends are carried by the clasps or boots A A, first above described.

As already seen, the pendants l) D being free to swing forward and rearward, or in the direction traveled, but firmly fixed in a parallel position laterally, the tendency of the elastic straps attached to the clasps or boots A A is to spread apart the hind legs,and thereby prevent and break up the bad habit of interfering with each other of the hind feet, and the latter with the fore feet by overreaching, so called. In fast traveling, the hint feet are, by the use of the invention, thrown outward and forward of the fore feet, as is evident.

Having thus fully and clearly described and illustrated my iuvention,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The described device, consisting of two stiff pendants pivoted on the thills to swing back and forward, but not laterally, and provided with an elastic flexible connection at the lower end adapted to be attached to a boot on the horse, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device such as herein described, the clip C, having a plate provided on the under side with the oppositely-perforate :l ears a a, to adapt it to be used as described.

3. The combination of the boots A, elastics C, pendants D, adapted to swing only forward and back, and the clips C, said pendants being pivoted between the cars a a of the clips, as and for the purpose specified.

CHARLES IV. NOYES. lVitnesses:

JOHN C. PERKINS, WM. A. LUBY. 

